The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1887-10-06

lead were scarce and costly in those
days, and men used more time and
less ammunition in shooting, Time
was abundant and cheap. He always
spoke of his rifle in the most cndear-
ing term, calling it "Sweet Betsy" or
Mountain Nancy" and invariably
used forit the personal pronoun "she."
"She" was a closer companion than
his wife. Yea, the even loved her bet,
ter than hispack Of hounds, of which
he always kept at least II bakers doz-
en-. The chief occupation of that day
was hunting The burdens and
cares OF the household and the farm
were only just sufficient for most OF
the year and during the busy hunting
season to afford wholesome and
healthy exercise for the "women
folks" The "lords of creation" gen
orally excused themselves from these
tedious employments and with their
rifles and hounds would roam the for
ests and streams in a nobler pursuit.
This idea was borrowed from the wise
and philosophic aboriginese, who
knew how to manage for solid COM
fort, but regret to realize the fact that
in this perverse day and generation
the "women folks" have turned the ta-
bles on us, and have learned to out
manage us in the matter of elegant
leisure and recreation and rest. The
architecture OF that day was so unique
and simple, and while it did not ex-
hibit all the beauties of proportion
and harmony of lines and curves and
angles that distinguish the Grecian
styles, yet it combined to some extent
the important requisite of usefulness.
Its rudimentary principle consisted
in two pens with an open passage be-
tween. One pen or room was desig-
mated as the kitchen, the other the
"big house" 1t was built OF logs. It's
roofing consisted of four-foot "clap-
boards" each course held down by Il
"weight-pole," nails had not yet
come into use in our parts. Its re-
liefs consisted OF open shed roofs ex-
tending from the sides of the main
building and supported by dogwood
forks for columns. Its embellish-
ments were coon, 'possum and Wild
cat skins, stretched on the outside
) walls to dry. The interior presented
a marvel OF harmony in the distribu-
ton and arrangement OF its belong
ings. Iu the "big house were the
beds arranged in all the splendors of
feminine art There was every rare
design for pieced quilts, and each
quilt had high sounding and poetic
name according to pattern of style.
: There was the Rocky Mountain
, STAR" "the Rose OF Sharon" "the
Hope of jerusalem" "the Damask of
Paradise" "the Golden Apple of
Pain" and "the Flowers of Love"
The walls were tapistried with a
wreath of home-spun feminine gar
ments which illustrated in the most
, gorgeous style the infinite powers Of
the domestic loom and the dye pot
l In one corner hung in royal state the
old mans Sunday suit of jeans-the
, choicest fruit of the old lady's art and
science. The coat was wonderfully
Q and fearfully made and il covered his
body as the water covers the face oI
the great deep. It's great collar en-
, circled his neck like the belts of Jupi.
ter and the reign of Saturn. The
pants seemed capacious enough to
hold a ship cargo, and the vest was the
envy Of all the world. 1t was EN-
@ blazoned with broad and luminous
! stripes of gorgeous hue running a
: right-angles over its ample area lik'
= the lines OF latitude and longitude
i and when he proudly donned this glo
>. rious suit and started off to the music
e parading his red bandanna, he looked
f terrible as an army with banner.
It In another corner stood the old fam
d lily clock, seven feet high in its socks
4 made before the food, an heir loon
Il of the buried centuries, its grea
Il pendulum swinging to and fro with {
/ slow and solemn stride like a shudder
Is ing cuIprit marching to the galows
Ie 1t looked like the confined corpse {
If Time, lying in state awaiting the res
" direction,
st Over the door was the gun racks
,e two hickory forks pinned to the wal
S. wherein lay the rifle, faithful "swee
1f Betsey" the guardian and palladium
Is of freedoms citadel
III On the wall hung the melodiou
is fiddle, with neck entwin ed with ga
10 ribbons with red, white and blu
a This was the precious property of tn
le only son, George WASHINGTON, Joh
It. Sewer, Shelby Campbell Dav
e. Crockett Jones. John and his fiddl
he were the central figures OF all I'll
in quitings and corn shuckings an
Id frolics for miles and miles aroun'